Friday, March 9, 2012

How would you set up this triangle?

The question is:

"Redwood trees in California's Redwood National Park are hundreds of feet tall. A sighting to the top of one of these trees is taken x feet away from the tree's base at an angle of elevation of 44 degrees. You go another 100 feet and take another sighting at an angle of elevation of 37.2 degrees. What is the height of the tree?"



How would you set up the triangle?How would you set up this triangle?
tree

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|t

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___x___44\..... ....100...37.2\



Write a system

Tan 44= t/x



X= t/tan44

X= 1.04t



Tan 37.2 = t/(100+x)



.76= t/(100+ 1.04t)



.76(100+ 1.04t)= t



76+ .79t= t



76= .21t



t= 362 ft approx.



Hoping this helps!

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